I sit at my computer looking at the polls in disbelief. According to recent surveys, New York City Democrats seem poised to select a 33-year-old socialist as their pick for Mayor. Does New York really want to risk Zohran Mamdani’s brand of progressive governance?
New Yorkers would do well to look west for a cautionary tale. San Francisco recently elected progressive Chesa Boudin as its District Attorney, resulting in disastrous consequences. Under Boudin, crime surged, drug use exploded, and businesses shuttered their doors, fleeing a city increasingly defined by disorder and decline. Policies meant to promote social justice instead fueled chaos, emboldening criminals and leaving residents fearful and angry.
Ultimately, San Francisco voters revolted in a remarkable display of grassroots activism, as moderate citizens—initially bullied into silence—found their voices, rallied together, and took action. With strong support from influential community and tech leaders who funded and energized the effort, we successfully recalled Boudin. But this victory only came after substantial damage had already been done.
Zohran Mamdani’s socialist vision similarly threatens to plunge New York City into a dangerous experiment. Unlike San Francisco, however, which retained a relatively moderate mayor during its progressive experiment - New York under Mamdani would have few moderating influences. His proposed policies risk profoundly destabilizing the city. He advocates repurposing subways as homeless shelters, potentially exacerbating crime, safety concerns, and transit disruptions. He promises rent freezes, despite lacking the direct authority to implement them, offering voters something he likely cannot deliver, while signaling hostility toward landlords and developers who are critical to addressing the city’s housing shortage. This approach ignores New York’s own history, where the housing crisis of the 1920s was effectively resolved by incentivizing private market-rate housing construction, not stifling it. Policies similar to Mamdani’s have historically led to even tighter housing supply, higher rents on unregulated apartments, and deteriorating housing quality for all.
He also proposes taxpayer-funded, city-run grocery stores, a strategy with a long history of inefficiency and municipal failure. Notably, Mamdani is committed to spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on controversial programs such as publicly funded gender-transition care for minors, igniting fierce debates over parental rights and fiscal responsibility.
How would Mamdani finance these ambitions? By sharply raising taxes on businesses and the wealthy - precisely those who contribute the most to New York’s budget - and by significantly increasing municipal debt to dangerously unsustainable levels. Remember, the top 2% wealthiest of New Yorkers pay more than half the city’s income taxes. If these residents and businesses leave, who will foot the bill? And piling tens of billions in new debt onto the city’s already strained finances risks pushing New York towards a fiscal crisis reminiscent of the 1970s.
New York knows what happens when progressive idealism clashes with reality. We saw it in the 1970s, when the city spiraled into crime, debt, and dysfunction, only reversing course when pragmatic leadership finally restored order in the 1990s under Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.
Today, New York already leans far-left, with a city council dominated by progressive Democrats and virtually no Republican counterbalance. Mamdani, a social-media-savvy candidate endorsed by AOC, Bernie Sanders, and celebrity influencers, has struck a chord with young, educated voters frustrated by affordability and inequality issues.
But popularity among Gen Z voters does not equate to practical governance. History reminds us that good intentions alone do not keep a city safe, prosperous, or functional. If elected, Mamdani’s tenure will likely exacerbate New York’s existing struggles with antisemitism, public safety, and financial stability.
If he wins the election in November, I’ll stay here and do what I did in San Francisco - witness and document what unfolds. I’ll continue to engage, critique, and advocate fiercely for pragmatic solutions that ensure New York thrives.
But, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. New York has faced enough turmoil. This city deserves practical leadership, not radical experiments that gamble with its future.
~ Michelle
P.S. As an experiment, I recorded myself reading this piece aloud. The video is on YouTube here.
*Note: This piece was drafted with assistance from ChatGPT, which helped me quickly refine and articulate my points.
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